NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lorena, TX
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lorena, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Chantal in 1989. Since 1950, 113 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 113
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
121 deaths in all
What the records show for Lorena
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lorena; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Lorena begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Chantal in 1989, a tropical storm 75 miles away. None of the 12 systems has come since 2000. Lorena has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 113 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 6, 1973, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 11, 1953, killed 114 people. Of the 113, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on June 11, 2025. Lorena has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 145 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Lorena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lorena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | ChantalAug 2 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lorena: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lorena
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s5
- 2000s12
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s26(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | F5 | 11 mi | 20.9 mi | 114 / 597 |
| May 6, 1973 | F5 | 25 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F4 | 22 mi | 23.3 mi | 6 / 77 |
| Apr 21, 1952 | F4 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1997 | F3 | 24 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1997 | F3 | 11 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1990 | F3 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1955 | F2 | 23 mi | 10.1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 22, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.78 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 5, 2006 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 25 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 113, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lorena
The Storm Prediction Center has 145 hail reports within 10 miles of Lorena since 1961, made on 91 separate days. Of these, 96 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 27, 1997. The most recent report is from June 1, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lorena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mcgregor, TX, 14 miles west of Lorena at 723 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (18.7 of 38.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal August there has highs of 96°F and 2.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 94 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 38.1 inches is more than at 194 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (62%). Hewitt, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Waco Dam, TX): 37.6 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 62 | 38 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Apr | 77 | 52 | 3.0 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 72 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 65 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 55 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Year | 77 | 53 | 38.1 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mcgregor, TX (723 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Lorena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lorena: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 8, 2021. June has had the most flash floods, 17 of 32. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 580 have had fewer than Lorena.
June 12, 2014: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Lorena — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
October 14, 2013: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Lorena — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
June 27, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lorena — 1 killed.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
McLennan County, which includes Lorena, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McLennan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $84.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.3 million (35%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Lorena in the notable storm records: The May 11, 1953 F5 Tornado in Texas, near Waco
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Lorena
- Hewitt, TX5 mi
- Eddy, TX9 mi
- Robinson, TX9 mi
- Waco, TX11 mi
- Troy, TX14 mi
- Mc Gregor, TX14 mi
- Moody, TX15 mi
- Riesel, TX15 mi
- Lott, TX16 mi
- Marlin, TX18 mi
- Crawford, TX18 mi
- Elm Mott, TX21 mi
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